Wiggybass Posted October 24, 2017 Share Posted October 24, 2017 Hi all Has anyone come up with a simple and effective way of attaching wheel boards to cabs such that they can also be removed easily? I use a pair of Bergantino cabs and I've made sturdy wheel boards for both, using heavy-duty ply and 3" wheel flightcase castors. They work great in terms of moving the cabs around but they also de-couple the cabs from the floor which (obviously) reduces the low-frequency response significantly - ideally I need to find a way of being able to get the wheels on and off easily so I can stand the cabs on the floor once at the gig but still use them to move the beasts before and after. I can't find plug-in castors that are big enough (the blue-wheel versions I use now are good even on rough surfaces) and I'd prefer not to drill big holes in the base of the cabs anyway. At present the wheelboards are secured via the holes that originally held the screws for the big rubber feet so they can be returned to original spec if necessary. Any ideas very welcome! Wiggybass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ped Posted October 24, 2017 Share Posted October 24, 2017 How about putting the cabs on their side? FWIW I read somewhere that the coupling effect is actually not a 'thing' but I can't remember, and may have been the opposite. You're welcome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wiggybass Posted October 24, 2017 Author Share Posted October 24, 2017 Excellent! I've done that with the 410 and it almost works too well, done it a couple of times on sloping stages where I couldn't leave the cab on its wheels and almost knocked the drummist off stage. It's a possibility but the other cab is a tall 2 x 12 and it's main advantage is that it puts out a huge racket in a very small footprint, but on its side it would be huge (missus). There's no question that ground proximity has a massive effect on effective frequency response below a certain point and even the size of the footprint makes a difference - my 410 on its side sounds completely different to the same cab on its wheels or even upside down. I also have a Berg' 1 x 12 which I use for small gigs and it's pretty good on its wheels but on its side it'll keep up with our drummer no problem. It's definitely a thing, though it does also depend on what the cab is sitting on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xgsjx Posted October 24, 2017 Share Posted October 24, 2017 (edited) Why not stick the wheelboard on the side of the 2x12? Lay it down to move it. Sacktrolley FTW though! Edited October 24, 2017 by xgsjx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted October 24, 2017 Share Posted October 24, 2017 3" castors won't de-couple the cabs from the floor. 3 feet might but 3" will be OK. I have both dolly boards and folding aluminium trolleys and I'd use the trolley every time. Mine always worked well with various 12's combinations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wiggybass Posted October 24, 2017 Author Share Posted October 24, 2017 I can only offer the evidence of ears and those of my band mates - with a flat side of any of the cabs on the deck there is s***loads more bass, on the wheels there is far less, with the same amp settings. I don't know the physics well enough to argue it but it's real... Anyway, still looking for a solution! The cabs all have covers so a side-mounted 'board isn't really a runner though I haven't ruled it out yet. I have a horrible feeling it's going to wind up being a sack barrow... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Starr Posted October 24, 2017 Share Posted October 24, 2017 (edited) There's nothing difficult about acoustic coupling. when the sound bounces off the floor it gets to your ears a fraction of a second later then the sound from the speaker because it's a longer journey. The further from the floor the greater the delay. If the speaker is close to the floor then the difference is very small compared to the wavelength and it doubles the sound you hear. As the frequency increases the wavelength gets smaller so there's a frequency where you get cancellation and there is a suckout instead of reinforcement. The frequency of this first suckout depends only upon the distance from the floor. There's another sort of coupling which is about anchoring the speaker to the floor. Playing loud on a wooden floor sometimes makes the floor resonate and a bit of decoupling is quite useful. On a soft floor the speaker will move around as you sometimes notice when your pint hits the floor or the speaker starts moving across the stage on it's castors. It is useful sometimes to be able to put the speaker flat on the stage. The solution is to simply make up a trolley with your castors using a board the size of your biggest speaker. On good surfaces you can simply push it on the trolley, if it's an uneven surface you can simply strap the speaker to the trolley and unstrap it at the other end if you wish. Or buy one of the ones that are designed for moving furniture. Having said that I use a folding sack truck. Edited October 24, 2017 by Phil Starr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Dare Posted October 24, 2017 Share Posted October 24, 2017 I use the webbing straps from my surfboard/canoe roof rack to attach stuff to a wheelboard. They have latches that you can tighten, but undo easily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wiggybass Posted October 25, 2017 Author Share Posted October 25, 2017 Aha!! That could be good - where do you get them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Starr Posted October 25, 2017 Share Posted October 25, 2017 https://www.screwfix.com/p/ratchet-tie-down-straps-5m-x-25mm-2-pack/24567 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Dare Posted October 26, 2017 Share Posted October 26, 2017 Phil's suggestion a good one. Much cheaper than mine (which are Thule and came with the rack), but the same thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wiggybass Posted October 31, 2017 Author Share Posted October 31, 2017 Right, I have a cunning plan! Just waiting on a couple of components, will post pics when it's all done. Gosh this is exciting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NukeBass Posted November 2, 2017 Share Posted November 2, 2017 It's possible to get Quick Release Castor Plates - could be a viable solution..? [url="https://www.thomann.de/gb/adam_hall_38090_castor_plate.htm"]https://www.thomann.de/gb/adam_hall_38090_castor_plate.htm[/url] Personally, I just use a sack trolley for moving both mine and the guitarists gear... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wiggybass Posted November 16, 2017 Author Share Posted November 16, 2017 (edited) Right, here's how I did it, maybe someone else might find this useful: * Having measured up the cab I got the nice man at my local DIY store to cut me several 60mm wide stripes of 18mm ply for the skids, cut them to length and chamfered the edges with a router. They are mounted to the base of the cab using the bolts that originally held the big rubber feet in place * On the cabinet side of the skids I mounted a countersunk M8 T-nut then drilled holes in the wheelboard to line up with them * I then mounted bars on the wheelboard so they locate against the inner sides of the skids, just to take the pressure off the bolts a bit * I bought a number of 30mm wing bolts from Amazon and these locate into the T-nuts on the skids through the holes in the wheelboard ...eh voila! A proper wheelboard that is very securely fixed to the cab but can be taken off in seconds, plus the cab isn't permanently modified in any way. Wiggybass PS - The velcro straps are sewn to the cover and hold it on while in transit... Edited November 16, 2017 by Wiggybass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charic Posted November 16, 2017 Share Posted November 16, 2017 Do you think instead of attaching the board with bolts you might be able to do it with a magnet or similar? That way you could relatively easily remove once on stage Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wiggybass Posted November 16, 2017 Author Share Posted November 16, 2017 I did look at magnets, you can get all sorts from Amazon believe it or not, but the wheelboard is pretty heavy so I though the bolts a better option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charic Posted November 16, 2017 Share Posted November 16, 2017 5 minutes ago, Wiggybass said: I did look at magnets, you can get all sorts from Amazon believe it or not, but the wheelboard is pretty heavy so I though the bolts a better option. I wondered about the weight Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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